Tag: Syria

The London-based Action Group for Palestinians of Syria (AGPS) has documented the death of 3,894 Palestinian refugees from Syria, including 478 women and girls, since 2011, as a result of war related incidents.

Yarmouk Camp topped the list of victims with 1,408 casualties, followed by 263 in Daraa Camp, 202 in Khan Eshieh Camp, in Rif Dimashq, 167 in Aleppo’s al-Neirab Camp, and 123 in al-Husainiya Camp.

188 Palestinians also died in unknown locations while 1,543 others were pronounced dead in refugee camps and communities across war-torn Syria.

AGPS found out that 1,198 refugees were killed under shelling; 1,063 were fatally gunned down, while 558 others were tortured to death in Syrian dungeons.

Scores of Palestinian refugees have also been left wounded in Syria’s seven-year deadly warfare.

Dozens of displaced Palestinian families north of Syria continue to rally in Deir Ballout Camp, protesting their tragic living conditions in the poorly-equipped camp.

The refugees urged UNRWA to live up to its responsibilities as regards dozens of hopeless families and to provide them with much-needed cash aids, medical items, and relief services.

The refugees also appealed to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the Turkish authorities, and the international human rights institutions to take urgent action in order to tone down the abject situation endured by Palestinian families north of Syria.

Palestinian refugees sheltered north of Syria have been enduring a tragic situation. Most of them have been crammed in underequipped tents and denied their rights to vital services and much-needed items, including heating kit.

Rodents and insects have swamped the camp as a result of the poor hygiene. An acute dearth in bread has added bad to worse.

The refugees’ stressed their commitment to their right to return to their motherland—Palestine—and retrieve their inalienable rights.

They further lashed out at the sanctions imposed by the US President Donald Trump on the Palestinians as part of the notorious “deal of the century”.

At least 320 Palestinian have sought shelter in Deir Ballout Camp.

75 other families who were displaced from Yarmouk and have taken refuge in al-Shabiba refugee camp, in Izaz, in Aleppo’s outskirts, have been struggling for survival in the poverty-stricken area.

At least 200 Palestinian refugees have been pronounced dead in war-torn Syria as a result the tough blockade imposed on Yarmouk Camp.

President of the Syrian Coalition Abdurrahman Mustafa warned that any attack on Idlib by the Assad regime and its allies would lead to catastrophic consequences as the province is home to more than two million civilians, most of whom were forcibly displaced from other parts of Syria. He stressed the need for the United Nations to prevent any such attack.

Speaking to Turkish media at the headquarters of the Syrian Coalition in Istanbul, Mustafa said that the Coalition “takes these threats seriously.” He noted that “there are two million Syrians in Idlib. They have no other place for to go.”

He pointed out that Turkey’s support for the Syrian revolution, the enormous aid it provides for the refugees and displaced persons, and the support it provided for the Free Syrian Army to defeat terrorist groups “make us optimistic that Idlib will not see such scenario.”

“The Assad regime and its allies sought to displace Syrian civilians to Idlib province. Turkey is seeking through political and diplomatic means to prevent an attack on Idlib as it is a guarantor of the ‘de-escalation zone’ in Idlib. Turkey is also the only country that is still on side of the Syrian people,” Mustafa added.

“With Iranian support, the Assad regime continues to pursue the policy of mass forced displacement, including most recently in Dara’a province. This took place after the United States discharged its obligations as a guarantor in the south. Idlib is now in the crosshairs of Assad’s policy of mass forced displacement. We hope that the same threat will not recur.”

Mustafa underscored that the Coalition supports any political solution that is likely to put an end to the bloodshed in Syria and fulfills the aspirations of the Syrian people. “We have participated in various conferences but we want the solution to be under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva talks in which we have participated since 2014. The Assad regime and its allies have not engaged seriously in these talks.”

Mustafa pointed out that Assad regime’s recapture of more areas does not mean that it is winning. “When the revolution broke out, there was no territory under the control of Syrian rebels. The Syrian people continue to make immense sacrifices. The solution is political rather than military.”

The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria and the continued crimes against civilians are due to the failure of the international community to honor its duties. “We have reached this situation because the international community has failed to punish the criminal.”

The Kurdish National Council called for the commemoration of the second anniversary of the bloody terrorist bombings that targeted the town of Qamishli on July 27, 2017. The Council called upon its supporters and residents of the town to gather at the site of the bombing on Friday evening.

In a statement, the Council called for the commemoration of the bloody attack, calling on residents of the town to gather in the western side of the town, at Amouda road.

Vice-president of the Syrian Coalition Abdel Basset Hamo said that the bloody terrorist bombings that targeted Qamishli and its people were intended to instill fear and terrorism in the town. “The circumstances of the crime have not been disclosed yet, especially the way the truck carrying explosives reached the center of the town through checkpoints.” He hinted the responsibility of the Assad regime for the attack, along with ISIS.

The Qamishli bombings killed dozens of people, including women and children as a result of a truck bomb explosion which also led to massive destruction to residential buildings.

Hamo pointed out that he was surprised by the sudden emergence of ISIS militants in the center of the town after travelling long distances. He noted that the attack was accompanied by threats by the Assad regime against residents of the town, which he considered as a systematic policy to force the local population to surrender.

Three terrorist bombings rocked Swaida on Wednesday and were followed by a criminal attack on villages and towns near the city. The attacks killed about 300 people.

Hamo stressed that what happened in Swaida is similar to the one that took place in Qamishli two years ago. He strongly condemned the terrorist attacks, which he said were aimed at creating chaos and terrorizing the population.

Member of the Coalition’s political committee Hawass Saadoun stressed the need to strengthen the spirit of solidarity amongst components of the Syrian people and to stand against all terrorist operations taking place in Syria.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims in Qamishli, Swaida and all other cities and towns where such explosions took place,” Saadoun said. He expressed hope that the root cause of chaos and terrorism in Syria, namely the Assad regime, will be defeated.

Saadoun pointed out that all such bombings took place at particularly sensitive times and, adding that “it is clear that they have political and military objectives.”

President of the Syrian Coalition Abdurrahman Mustafa sent a letter to Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to draw attention to the increasing violations by the Hezbollah militia against civilians in Syria and Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The letter also raised the issue of the issuance of unfair death sentences and life imprisonments against Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Mustafa called on the Lebanese prime minister to force the Hezbollah militia to withdraw from all Syrian territory and stop its blatant interference in the country.

Mustafa also called for the protection of Syrian refugees from the ongoing violations by the Hezbollah militia. He also called for the retrial of the detainees and ensuring that they are subjected to fair trial. He stressed the need to provide the detainees with legal and psychological support. He also called for the immediate release of all those who are detained under false accusations, adding that they were detained only because of their opposition to the Assad regime.

The intervention of Hezbollah militia in Syria on the side of the Assad regime as well as its involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Syrian people are the primary cause of the displacement of Syrians from their homes to Lebanon and other countries. Syrians fled their country in search of safety and to preserve their lives and the lives of their families, he added.

Attached to Mustafa’s letter were letters written by Syrian detainees in the Roumieh prison in Lebanon. The letters, which were obtained by the Coalition’s legal committee after contacts with the detainees, included appeals to human rights organizations for their release following the issuance of unfair sentences of death, life imprisonments and 12-15 years imprisonments. The sentences were based on trumped-up charges of belonging to terrorist groups.

Mustafa stressed that those trials were politically motivated, adding that none of the detainees were able to appoint a lawyer.

A delegation of the Syrian Coalition headed by President Abdurrahman Mustafa toured northern rural Aleppo on Tuesday, visiting the towns of Al-Raie and Al-Bab. In addition to President Mustafa, the delegation included Vice-president Badr Jamous, Secretary General Nazir al-Hakim, Head of the Syrian Negotiations Commission Nasr al-Hariri, and Head of the Syrian Interim Government Jawad Abu Hatab.

The delegation met with representatives of the local councils in the area, officials in the chambers of commerce and industry, the police force and the Free Syrian Army groups. The delegation was briefed on the reality of the service institutions in the liberated areas.

President Mustafa thanked all officials for the services they are providing for civilians in the liberated areas. He stressed that the Coalition is seeking to strengthen the relationship with everyone in these areas, which comes as part of the presidential plan for the next phase.

President Mustafa pointed out that work is underway to open offices of the Coalition in all liberated areas, with the first of these offices to be opened in the town of Al-Raie.

Moreover, President Mustafa stressed the need to strengthen the relationship and permanent communication between the Syrian Coalition and all institutions operating in the liberated areas. He pointed out that this will contribute to the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve the objectives of the Syrian revolution, namely freedom and dignity and the toppling of the regime.

Nasr Al-Hariri gave on overview of the latest developments in the political process. He stressed that the political solution is the only option to achieve the aspirations of the Syrian people through the implementation of the Geneva Communique of 2012 and UN Security Council resolution 2254.

Hariri also underscored the need to pay attention to the situation inside Syria, particularly at level of the Syrian revolution in order to reorganize the ranks and prepare well to meet the challenges ahead.

Secretary-General Nazir al-Hakim talked about the role of local councils and other institutions in the administration of the liberated areas. He said that these councils presented a successful model of governance and exposed the incompetence of the Assad regime’s institutions and the extent to which it uses them to serve its autocratic goals.

An independent human rights group issued a special statement on the gravest violations Russian have committed in Syria since the beginning of the 2018 World Cup it is currently hosting. It noted that by hosting the tournament, Russia is seeking to present itself as a civilized country spreading love and joy among the countries of the world through hosting the World Cup.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that the Russian forces have killed 71 civilians, including 20 children and nine women since the start of the World Cup on June 10. Russia has also committed at least eight massacres and attacked 14 vital civilian centers, including five healthcare facilities since June 10.

According to figures compiled by the monitoring group, Russian forces used incendiary munitions, an internationally prohibited weapon, in two attacks on populated areas. The violations and the bombardment caused the displacement of nearly 270,000 civilians, most of them in Dara’a province. The Network said that Russia reneged on all agreements it reached with residents of these areas.

“As the opening ceremony of the World Cup kicked off, and while the attention of the world was on the opening game of the Russian team, Russian forces were preparing to launch a barbaric attack on the Syrian south. The onslaught on southern Syria came despite that the region was covered by the ‘de-escalation zones’ agreement concluded by Russia itself. Russia violated the agreement just as it did in others areas across Syria.”

The Network called on journalists and rights activists around the world to highlight the crimes the Russian forces have been committing in Syria since the start of the World Cup and to re-emphasize that the host country has killed thousands of civilians in Syria.

The statement noted that Russia has killed at least 6,187 Syrian civilians since the start of its aggression on Syria, including 1771 children and 670 women. The victims were documented in the Network’s database with all the details such as the date and place of the attacks as well as photos and videos.

The Syrian Coalition’s Department of Foreign Affairs held two separate meetings in the Turkish capital Ankara with Sweden Ambassador Lars Wahlund and Cote d’iIvour Ambassador Yacouba Atta. The meetings discussed the latest developments on the ground in Dara’a province and the latest political developments regarding the issue of the drafting of a new Syrian constitution.

Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Abd al-Ahad Steifo talked about the series of mass forced displacement being carried out by the Assad regime against civilians in different parts of Syria. He urged Sweden and Côte d’Ivoire, both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, to support the Syrian people’s demands for freedom and dignity.

Steifo urged Sweden, which will preside over the UN Security Council next month, to support the taking of a firm stance towards the war crimes being committed by the Assad regime against civilians and put an end to the international community’s failure to take legal responsibility towards the protection of civilians.

Steifo stressed the need to provide humanitarian and relief assistance to the displaced people, especially in southern Syria where over 300,000 people have been displaced in recent weeks, according to United Nations.

Moreover, Steifo stressed that the Coalition’s serious engagement in negotiations to reach a political solution was met by insistence of the Assad regime to pursue a bloody security and military solution. He noted that the formation of a Constitutional Committee tasked with drafting a new constitution is key to bring about real political transition and the establishment of a state that is based on the rule of law.

The UN Security Council once again failed to stop the carnage civilians in Syria, particularly in Dara’a province by the Assad regime forces and their allies. Vice-President of the Syrian Coalition, Badr Jamous, said that the indifference being shown by the international community towards the tragedy of the Syrian people would remain a dark stain on humanity’s conscience.

An emergency session of the Security Council on the situation in Syria’s south ended Thursday evening without any results. The session was held in parallel with relentless Russian airstrikes on the town of Saida in eastern rural Dara’a resulting in the death of a family of a mother and four children.

Jamous called upon the United Nations to hold Russia, Iran and the Assad regime responsible for the war crimes against Syrian civilians as he stressed the need to activate the international neutral mechanism to hold war criminals accountable.

During the UN Security Council meeting, which was convened at a request by Sewden, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his deep concern at the devastating impact of the military campaign being launched by Assad forces and the Iranian terrorist militias with Russian aerial support in southern Syria.

UN Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric on Thursday said that an estimated 750,000 lives in southern Syria are in danger, adding that more than 320,000 people are now displaced and most are living in dire and insecure conditions.

Jamous condemned all crimes taking place against civilians in Dara’a, stressing that the regime’s onslaught on the province is part of the demographic change and mass forced displacement policy it has pursued elsewhere in Syria. He pointed that the regime’s strategy is aimed at disrupting political solution in Syria.

President of the Syrian Coalition Abdurrahman Mustafa met with the Georgia’s Ambassador to Ankara Irakli Koplatadze and the Georgian General Consul in Istanbul Inga Kikvadze and discussed with them the latest political and field developments in Syria.

The two sides agreed that both the Syrian and Georgian peoples suffer from the crimes being committed by Russia against civilians and its support for illegitimate regimes with the aim of preventing them from gaining their freedom and dignity.

Mustafa pointed out that what is going on in southern Syria is like “doomsday,” adding that Russia is pursuing a scorched-earth policy against civilians to impose its conditions. He warned that the Assad regime and Russia are seeking to forcibly displace the local population of Dara’a just as they did in other areas in Syria.

Mustafa denounced the Assad regime’s recognition of the independence of Georgia’s breakaway regions Abkhazia and South Ossetia as a violation of international law, expressing support for the sovereignty and independence of Georgia and its territorial integrity.

Mustafa pointed out that the Assad regime is “illegitimate and all its decisions and positions are illegitimate for us.” He pointed out that “the Assad regime takes its decisions under orders from Russia as it has became a mere pawn in the hands of the Russian administration.”

“Over the past seven years, the Syrian people have been well aware of the Russian position and its operations aimed at killing others. What the Georgians are facing now is the same our people have been facing for more than seven years,” Mustafa added.

Mustafa expressed his support for the Georgian people as he expressed hope that Georgia will do the same. The two sides reaffirmed their determination to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation in a way that serves the interests of the Syrian and Georgian peoples.

Mustafa called upon the Georgian government to appoint a special representative to Syria in order to strengthen the bilateral relationships and ensure continued communication.